[j. bourne]

Welcome to the Fallen Oaks Farm Event
It is here that an illegal Euphorian Thoroughbred breeding operation was shut down by local authorities. All of the mares, stallions, and of age foals are in need of homes. There will also be some mares that still have their foals that need to be taken care of. Euphorian lovers from all over have come together to get homes for all of the animals. They've brought giant trailers and are ready and waiting to bring home a bunch of new faces. But before adopting, they must visit the trailer parking site. Welcome to Fallen Oaks Farm!

Username: conversett
Show Name: A Journey Through Metanoia
Barn Name: Yūgen
Gender: Stallion
Age: 8 years
Height: 16.3 hh
Eye Color: Brown
Phenotype: Seal Brown Roan Tobiano Blanket Pintaloosa
Genotype: EE/Ata/RnRn/Toto/Lplp
Mane Type: Trimmed
Discipline: Pole Bending
Halter: Black with Silver Buckles
Breeding Info: Dominant for black [EE] and will always produce black-based foals.
Dominant for roan [RnRn] and will always produce roan foals.
Edit List: Pinned Ears and Wide Eyes


To win this stallion, write about his first encounter with another animal! This animal cannot be a horse or human.
Minimum 100 words.

Code: Select all

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]Show Name:[/b]
[b]Barn Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b] Stallion
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Halter:[/b]
[b]Discipline:[/b]
[b]Link to Trailer Park Entry:[/b]
[b]Encounter:[/b]

Minimum 100 words. Ends September 7th.

[ExVenor]

Username: Half Tree
Show Name: Kost Esaam Hissera
Barn Name: Qunlat
Gender: Stallion
Age: 4
Height: 17.2hh
Halter: surprise
Discipline:
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Tara ready for battle.
Encounter: Qunlat stands quietly grazing on what grasses he could reach without going too far from where the human bade him stay. Richard, his rider, had needed to go assist Michal with a tack malfunction in the middle of their forest trail ride. The bridle having slid down the other horse's neck and startling them both. Richard had hoped off and left Qunlat to stand in wait while he picked his husband up off the ground to convince him to get back in the saddle.

It is while they argue with each other that Qunlat sees something rather curious a few feet down the trail. A tree was walking. The stallion bold as he is quiet isn't frightened by this only intrigued. So he starts forward only glancing back once to see if the humans noticed him wandering off but when neither looks up he plods along with confidence. Watching the branches and leaves of the tree swaying as they move through the forest.

He doesn't have the chance to follow it for long before he hears the whistle of Richard having noticed him gone now. He pauses and so does the tree it swings around like it is looking right at him. Qunlat braces himself to run, he has no idea what a walking tree will do if it notices him following. A few seconds pass of them locked into stillness the forest seems to quiet down around them and Qunlat relaxes again.

The peacefulness is only broken when the tree starts moving towards him causing him to half turn back the way he came which brought the tree's movement to a halt. The tree again regards him until they both relax and then starts forward again. This time Qunlat doesn't jump and the cracking of the underbrush but he does react when the tree is in view. It wasn't just a tree, after all, there is an animal under all the foliage black-brown and shaped like an odd horse. Qunlat has to look up to meet the eyes he is now close enough to see. The tree-beast is taller than him, he finds this odd usually he is always looking down on other animals being fairly tall himself.

Tree-beast now stands out of its cover onto the cleared trail and stretches forward to try and identify the tacked up horse in front of it. Qunlat leans forward as well and breathes deeply of the breath being blown back into his face. They share breath for a moment and Qunlat even takes a further step forward the curiosity getting the better of him.

The spell is broken when Richard comes jogging up the trail only to stop in his tracks and shout an expletive. The tree-beast jerks away from Qunlat and shakes its head fiercely dislodging the foliage tangled in its antlers. Richard is pulling out his phone to film the scene in front of him even as he backs away pushing Michal behind him when he comes running to investigate the shout. Michal freezes when he sees the two animals still standing next to each other Qunlat looking over his shoulder with this giant beast next to him facing them squarely.

"That is a moose," he mutters in shock having never seen one before.

It wasn't a question but Richard confirms it anyway, "That is a moose. That is a giant bull moose so start moving."

Horse and moose watch as the humans go back around the edge of the trail though Richard just steps off into the trees on the side so he can keep recording the interaction. The animals look to each other again silently for a few minutes longer before the huge bull turns away and heads down the trail crossing into the other side of the trees and disappearing out of view. Qunlat listens until he can't hear the cracking of branches before he turns back and trots over to where Richard is stepping into view while tucking his phone into his pocket.

"You, sir, are much braver than me," the man tells him as he takes the reins over his head to lead him back to the others, "You're also clearly in need of more training in ground tying. Though I guess that one is my fault since I didn't drop the reins."

Once both men mount up they continue their trek through the calm forest. This time Qunlat pays extra attention to the sounds of nature around him. Catching a few glimpses of small furry creatures dashing away or up trees but none were quite so interesting or intimidating as the massive moose he had met today.


[a lil visual of what Qunlat saw]

[Exotica.]

Username: Exotica.
Show Name: Finn Collins
Barn Name: Finn
Gender: Stallion
Age: 6 years
Height: 16.1 hh
Halter: Brown Leather
Discipline: Eventing
Link to Trailer Park Entry: xXx
Encounter:

"What in the name of Seabiscuit was THAT!?" Finn cried out. "It... it's a monster! It has to be!"
He looked at the strange creature curiously, "Oh no. Oh no. Oh my gallop. It saw me. IT'S LOOKING AT ME!"

He ran off to the back of the meadow, as far away from the monster as he could. He looked back over his shoulder. The monster was CHASING him down the pasture!

"WHAT ARE THOSE NOISES IT'S MAKING!?" He screamed. All he could hear was the monster roaring behind him.

"Squawww."
"Bagok!"
"Baaawwwk!"

"IT'S COMING!!!" Finn screamed, cowering in the corner of the pasture, looking for ways out.

Chelsea - the owner - came running out hearing all the commotion. She looked at the silly scenario playing out in front of her, laughing so hard she cried.

"Mac. Get over here!" she called.

The monster turned around and ran toward Chelsea now. Finn was very concerned for her life.

Chelsea picked up the "monster" and held him up to Finn. He looked at the creature, terrified, but a little less anxious than before, knowing it was trapped.

"Finn. Meet Mac. Mac. Meet Finn." Chelsea said.
"Bawwww." Mac replied.

[certified]

Username: certified
Show Name: One Hit Wonder
Barn Name: Knack
Gender: Stallion
Age: 8
Height: 18.2 hh
Halter: surprise me
Discipline: dressage
Link to Trailer Park Entry: here
Encounter: with Jax
Knack was out in the pasture, eating when he heard a terrifying sound. He couldn't quite describe it. Loud? Quick? High pitch and repetitive? Maybe those were the words. He stopped eating to look up and saw this short long brown thing standing with the humans up at the house making these noises and wiggling his body furiously. Next thing Knack knows, this thing is running in his direction, making this incredibly horrid sound. He was closing the gap quickly and Knack just stood still, petrified. Nowhere to go, really. This alien came up, covered in long hair head to tail, tongue hanging from his mouth as he slobbered everywhere like a dummy. His body wiggling furiously. Jax, the Pyrenean Wolfhound, started to pace in circles around Knack, sniffing, Knack trying not to step on this things dripping wet nose.
Knack looked at the humans, walking up to the two, coming to watch the introduction. He looked back at the dog, horrified. Back at the humans. Then back at the dog running in circles around his feet. Finally, he cried for help, unsure of what to do. the humans called their thing back, and said it was a "the dog". He sat next to them, this wriggling pile of nasty slobbery goo and terrifying noise. All he could think about, was Why in the world would they ever want something that wet?

[CheeseyChelsey]

Username: Allenula
Show Name: GOS Kentucky Bluejeans
Barn Name: Blue-Jeans
Gender: Stallion
Age: 8 years
Height: 18 hh
Halter: His eye color
Discipline: Show Jumping
Link to Trailer Park Entry: The Blue Ford Pickup Truck
Encounter:
Blue-Jeans perked his ears up to the sound of bushes moving.
He'd slowly walk to the end of the fence, towards the sound.
He'd snort, giving the creature a warning.
The bushes stopped for a minute, soon moving closer again.
Blue-Jeans backed up, pinning his ears back as the creature stopped again.
Soon the creature showed it self. It was a young doe.
Blue-Jeans looked at the small thing, not knowing what it is.
They'd watch each other for a while in till Blue-Jeans heard his name being called by his rider, which made the doe run back into the thick woods of Kentucky.
Words: 104

[Lavellan]

Username: Laurara
Show Name: Abject Assassin
Barn Name: Molai
Gender: Stallion
Age: 7 Years, 5 Months
Height: 16.1hh
Halter: Blood Red
Discipline: Trail Riding
Link to Trailer Park Entry: Here!
Encounter:

His first encounter with Andromeda, the Imperial Ancient Kirin!

The day was peaceful, the sparse, fluffy clouds passing through the sky at a leisurely pace, the grass blowing lightly at the stallion’s feet, but yet, Molai sighed heavily. Of course, the peaceful pasture was far nicer than the dirty, cramped stable back at Fallen Oaks, but he was lonely. Stallions were always separated, and, while Molai kind of understood, he still hated it. Raising his head, plodding slowly towards the pasture fence, he looked in to the pasture across from him, the mares within far away, and, even with a gentle whinny, offering them company, they ignored him. Sure, he had tried to impress them through the fence several times, dancing and parading up and down the pasture fence, but this time, he wouldn’t annoy them, he promised!
Whipping his tail with a hefty sigh, turning back, a huge shape at the other end of the pasture caused the stallion to shoot his head upwards, ears pricking towards them. He wasn’t quite sure what the creature was, definitely not a horse, but they would be company nonetheless. Whickering in greeting, trotting towards them, Molai didn’t let the steely look from those golden eyes slow him down. Even with a mouthful of grass, the creature was ferocious, glaring at the stallion as he bounded towards her, delighted in the company.
He slid to a stop, however, as the creature lowered her head, sharp, ringed horns pointed directly at him. Lowering his head with a complaining groan, he allowed the creature to continue her grazing, watching. When the goat-like creature had her back fully turned, Molai stretched between the boards of the fence, nipping playfully at her rump. The creature turned with a snort, thrusting her horns towards him, but he slipped out of the way, galloping a number of paces into the pasture. Playfully, he looked back, but, to his horror, the goat had leaped the fence, thundering after him.
Ears flattening against his head, eyes widening, Molai pushed all of his energy into his hind legs, propelling himself forwards. The goat got so close, he could hear the thunder of her hooves, and the stallion squealed, begging for someone to help.

I had been watching the encounter from a little bit away, laughing at the stallion’s antics. The Kirin was understandably frustrated with the stallion, but I needed to stop her before she hurt him. They weren’t the brightest creatures, it’d be easy to get her to forget. Climbing over the fence, walking a couple of paces in, I raised my hands to my mouth. “Andromeda!” I called, and, within seconds, the goat-like creature was at my side, begging for scratches. Tickling the area at the base of her horns, feeling her melting into my touch, I looked back to Molai, laughing out loud at his incredulous expression. His dark eyes moved from Andromeda, to me, back to Andromeda, and back again.
“C’mere, boy,” I called, earning a wary look from the horse, who seemed to be some sort of dilemma, a conflict of his own mind. Eventually, he skulked towards me, walking a large circle to avoid the Kirin. When he was close enough, I dropped my hands from Andromeda, turning towards Molai. Giving him a lot of positive words and scratches, I could see out of the corner of my eye, the Kirin making the mental decision that “Me = Herd... This horse = friends with me... therefore Horse = Herd”. Huffing thoughtfully, Andromeda turned away, lowering her head to begin grazing again.
Still unsure of the entire situation, Molai followed me back to the pasture fence, watching me with panicked eyes as I left. I decided to just ignore him, moving until he stopped puppy-dog-eye staring after me. When he turned, I stopped, watching him approach the Kirin happily. Andromeda raised her head, huffing a greeting, before continuing grazing, and Molai followed suit, lowering his head to pull up a mouthful of grass.
And, after that, the pair were inseparable. Whenever I’d exercise Andromeda, Molai would have to be next. The once lonesome, solitary Kirin now followed his every step, and, when they thought I wasn’t looking, I’d often see them playing in the pasture together, frolicking in chases that mimicked that first day they met.

707 words

[SpartanAmethyst]

Username: SpartanAmethyst
Show Name: ARR Ancient Victory
Barn Name: Tristan
Gender: Stallion
Age: 5 years
Height: 17.2 hh
Halter: Something dragon based? Have fun with it.
Discipline: Dragonhunting & Endurance

A brief explanation: In the Nordanner breed, there is an ancient rite of competition between clans and families to take their bravest, strongest of mounts on an Annual Dragon Hunt, what these majestic horses were bred to do. At Amethyst Ridge Ranch, Amethyst is still training her team of Nordanners to take part in their very first Dragonhunt; though it is a strictly Nordanner sport, she has trained some of her other mounts in dragon control, as she also raises dragons.
Amethyst Ridge Ranch is set in a universe where things that are considered "Mythical" does exist, such as dragons, pegasi, kelpies, etc. Amethyst Ridge does raise some kinds of dragons, ones that are willing to be "tamed". One of these is Amethyst's Guardian, and Ancient Rune Dragon that goes by the name of Xurskay.

Link to Trailer Park Entry: [x]
Encounter:

It had been a long drive back to his new home, a ranch nestled in the valleys of the Rockies known as Amethyst Ridge. Nestled in beside a familiar mare named Mesa, another rescue from Fallen Oaks, he nuzzled against her to keep himself calm. He was brave, and being clean and well-fed (at least recently) had made him more confident, but with how unsure is future looked, it made him worry. Mesa's calm and optimism was his anchor as they finally pulled into that long drive. Mesa was unloaded first, and in her absence he surveyed the surrounding area. Everything was bright and green; hundreds of horses and other species littered the pastures, enjoying the midday sun and the cool breeze that swept down from the distant ridgeline. It was quite beautiful here, many miles away from that place of suffering.

Then it was his turn, and with a racing heart he patiently followed the ranch owner down the ramp, Amethyst speaking soothing words the entire time. She lead Tristan down the dirt paths between pastures towards the Quarantine stable, and he gazed at all the new faces and other animals to meet with a keen interest; he was still nervous, of course, but this was a brand new adventure, too!

Suddenly a commotion in a nearby pasture caught his attention, and he paused to watch. Amethyst saw his interest and smiled, allowing him to see the events unfold. A massive iridescent dragon was roaring and making a scene, spewing blue fire from its mouth and false swiping at its attackers. Riders on horseback were perfecting an attack formation and working on their teamwork. He was utterly captivated by the massive creature, and found himself stepping closer to get a better view.

"Those are Dragonhunters, some of my finest Nordanners training for their first hunt," Amethyst said proudly. "I see that's caught your eye; you might just make a good Droco. Droco is what we call our horses trained to handle dragons. Let's get you back into fighting shape, and we'll see what we can do." Suddenly the dragon released a massive line of blue flame, engulfing the horses and making sensors on their breast collars and the rider's vests light up red.

"You're all dead!" A trainer standing nearby suddenly yelled, and all of the riders pulled to a stop and collected their horses. The dragon reined back his flames as well, settling into his normal state. "Remember: in a real fight, you need to keep the dragon from using their powers by any means necessary. Potions won't always be there to protect you; they can fail or wear off. These might be games now, but when the Hunt begins, you're playing for keeps. We'll call it quits for today, go get you and your horses cleaned up."

As the riders dismounted and lead their sweaty mounts to the nearby shower area, the trainer and the dragon approached the fence. Amethyst kept a careful eye on Tristan to make sure he wasnt getting spooked, but the young stallion was so mesmerized that he was rooted to the spot. "The horses are looking good, they're improving every time we run scenarios," the trainer said.

"Good, we'll hopefully be ready. No casualties," Amethyst replied. She saw the trainer glance at the Euphorian questioningly; the Thoroughbred was gazing up at the dragon towering above him, the iridescent beast looking slightly uncomfortable with the horse's unwavering gaze. "Sam, Xurskay, this is one of our new rescues from Fallen Oak Farms, Tristan. We're just taking him into quarantine, but he seems to have taken an interest in Xurskay; we might have a new Droco," she smiled.

Suddenly the dragon turned his massive head to regard the horse, and his voice echoed telepathically in their immediate area. "So, young one, you wish to learn the Way of the Dragon?"

There was a brief moment of silence as Tristan considered his next action, then gave one quick, confident nod.

[WolfWinter]

Username: WolfWinter
Show Name: Dancing on the Moon
Barn Name: Rusty
Gender: Stallion
Age: 6
Height: 16.4 hh
Halter: Dark Green
Discipline: Hunter
Link to Trailer Park Entry:
Encounter:

Rusty wandered in the pen, bored. He couldn't fit his head through the bars, or get it over enough to see. He snorted and shook his head before rolling in the dirt to scratch his back. Right about then is when he noticed something sniffing at the poles. He quickly stood up and backed away from the small shadow. It was snuffling, and digging in the dirt. He pinned his ears back and looked around, but there were no humans around that he could see throguh the gaps. Curiosity tugged at him. Rusty took one step forward, then another, until he was standing in front of the snuffling thing and sniffed it back.

It didn't smell like anything he'd ever smelled before. It wasn't horse, and it wasn't human. It must've succeeded in its digging, because a little head poked out from under the pole. It yipped at him and he went tumbling back away from the loud creature. It wiggled out form under the fence, and bounded up to him, before stopping a few feet away. Sharp teeth, floppy ears, and a long whip tail. He glared suspiciously at it.

WIP

[geto]

Username: asra
Show Name: SI Umber Calling
Barn Name: Aserian
Gender: Stallion
Age: 6 years
Height: 16.2hh
Halter: black with gold buckles
Discipline: trail riding
Link to Trailer Park Entry: xx
Encounter:

res encounter with Iker

[conversett]

Show Name: a journey through metanoia
Barn Name: iter
metanoia (n.) the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life.
iter is a latin translation for journey.
Gender: Stallion
Age: 8 years
Height: 16.3 hh
Halter: surprise me?
Discipline: pole bending
Link to Trailer Park Entry: the late arrival
Encounter: Ella held the lead rope as she gently guided Iter off of the trailer. His steps were hesitant at first, and it was as though he was second guessing following the young woman. Ella could tell he would need some ground work exercises to help build up some trust. It was going to be a lot of work, but she couldn’t help but be excited for it. She was going to get the chance to help a horse and give them a better life.

As Iter took the last step off of the trailer, Ella turned him around to lead him indoors. After all it was pretty late, and she knew she spent a little more time than intended at Fallen Oak Farm. Her friends were most definitely worried by this point.

<< << >> >>

When Iter turned away from the trailer, he quickly observed what he could only imagine was his new home. It hadn’t looked like much. There was a single building that appeared to be an old train station repurposed into a barn. There was also a dome where he’d imagine that a indoor arena was, and some fenced in fields. It was all pretty dark so he couldn’t see too much either, only what the lights illuminated for them. From what he could tell they were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees, bushes, and everything the wilderness could offer.

While his eyes glanced over the bushes, something had caught his attention. Two beady fluorescent yellow eyes glowing back at him. Iter nearly jumped a foot in the air at the discovery and began to pull at the lead rope. The words run, and danger flooded his mindset and that’s all he needed to do in that moment. To get away from whatever that was.

Unfortunately the young woman at the other end of the lead was refusing to let go. He couldn’t get away. “Shh, Iter. It’s okay, you’re safe here.” She whispered softly and tried to pet his neck.

Iter stopped his motions to get away when he noticed the eyes were gone, and the pets did feel pretty nice. Her hands were so soft and delicate against his fur, unlike his previous owners. That man was always rough and jerking at him. The pets lured the stallion into a relaxed state when two other woman came rushing out of the barn.

<< << >> >>

“Ella, what’s this? You didn’t mention anything about bringing a horse back with you” Rowan stated with a little anger. They had two foals to take care of already and that was enough to deal with, let alone a rescue horse. Not that she had an issue with rescues, it was just a lot to have on their plate all at once.

Connor wasn’t far behind Rowan. “I told you, she took the trailer. That would’ve only meant one thing...” She was much more calmer in comparison to Rowan. But Ella could tell neither of them were thrilled.

“I couldn’t just leave him homeless guys. Besides, I’m the one who signed his adoption papers so he will be my responsibility. I can tell he has a good heart, and just needs someone to show him it’s okay.”

The other two girls stared back at Ella before they sighed and relented. “Fine, but that doesn’t excuse you from your share of the foal duties.” Rowan said in a softer voice, but the sternness was still present.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, you guys know I’m just as invested in them as you.” Ella responded cheerfully before she gently urged Iter on.

The two quietly walked into the barn before they came to an empty stall. Ella took the stallion inside and carefully slipped his halter off, and continued to stock his newfound stall with hay and water. And just like that the girl was gone after setting up a radio to play softly. That way Iter would feel less lonely and more soothed by his surroundings.

•••• •••• •••• ••••

Iter woke with a start the next morning. The radio had apparently lulled him to sleep the previous night, but now he could hear the sounds of two foals neighing quite obnoxiously. One more so than the other. He could only fathom that’s why he was awoken so abruptly. And it wasn’t long after that when Ella came by to slip his halter back on. He obediently followed her to the pasture gate where he got turned out. Coincidentally, it was the same pasture as the foals.

As soon as Ella had left them, a little filly in a pink blanket trotted over to introduce herself as Camellia. She was actually quite sweet and polite, until the other foal interrupted them. This one was in a blue blanket and didn’t even bother to introduce himself. Instead he riddled the stallion with questions.

“Why are you so dirty? And skinny for that matter, you look like a skeleton. How come you’re here at my stables? What do you have on Ella that’s making her your servant? I think you’re a distaste and you should leave. Probably for the best, honestly. You’re ruining the beautiful sights.”

“Lucifer! Stop being so mean to him. Can’t you be nice for one second.” Camellia argued with the colt but the colt seemed totally unfazed.

“I thought I was.” Lucifer responded with genuine honesty that made Iter feel slightly bad for the colt. Who was that kids parents for him to turn out that way. Yeesh.

While Camellia tried to educate Lucifer on what being nice is, Iter looked around the pasture field. It looked a lot less shabby in the sunlight, all the plants flourished with life. A mixture of lively greens and dark greens coming together. Dark browns from the tree bark, spotted with yellows and purples and pinks from wild flowers that dotted the forestry here and there. He briefly wondered what could be out there beyond what he is seeing now. Would the forest become thicker with shrubs and more trees? Or thin out into flat open fields? Or perhaps lead to a gorgeous, sparkling lake?

The stallions thoughts can to an abrupt halt. There seemed to be a lot of that lately, but it couldn’t be helped. There were those yellow eyes again! It was almost a relief to Iter that those eyes weren’t a figment of his imagination. Although the reality of the situation had sprung the stallion in action. He quickly ushered the two foals away from the opposing bush with the eyes.

Neither of the foals has seen the eyes, so Lucifer took it upon himself to make fun of the stallion. Iter learned to become very good at ignoring and blocking out others quite quickly, with having Lucifer around and all. As far as Iter was concerned, he just rescued those foals from imminent danger.

It had kept like that until arond late afternoon when the girls had stopped by to take the foals out for some handling training. Which had left Iter alone. He’d admit that he would miss the company of Camellia, but he wouldn’t lie to say the same of Lucifer. The colt practically scared him if he was that cruel with his words now, what would become of him once he’s older? The stallion shook the thoughts of, as that wasn’t really just concern.

The main issue was those creepy eyes. What the heck could they be. Certainly they were inhuman, and definitely not an equine. Bushes and shrubs did not have eyes from his knowledge, unless they were otherworldly? With that in mind, Iter began investigating various plants in the pasture. None appeared to have eyes, so he should be safe.

Or so he thought.

On a whim, the stallion decided to check out the last known shrub that the eyes were at. There was nothing there now, but he could hear a grumbling sound resonating down the row of bushes nearby. Looking up, Iter cape face to..eyes. He tried to repeat a mantra of “I will be okay, they can’t hurt me” in his head. He didn’t want to be the skittish filly that Lucifer had called him earlier. He could face this.

That was until the noise grew louder, and before Iter could blink, he was racing down the pasture and jumping the fence.

Of course, that meant Ella had to recapture him, calm him down, and return him to his stall for the rest of the day. Iter really couldn’t argue with that. His stall was safe. No evil eyes could get him here.

•••• •••• •••• ••••

The following day proved to be a better one. Iter received a good bathing to get all that mud off, and Ella was currently tacking him up for a trail ride. He would actually get to see what’s out there beyond the pasture! He could barely keep his excitement in as he pranced his hooves in place, urging Ella to hurry. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before she mounted him and they were off. Iter took off in a gallop, so Ella had to force him into some circles to slow him down. The process happened a few times as Ella tried her best to hold him back.

Once they got deeper into the forest he seemed to stop pulling on the reins so much and respect Ella a bit more as a rider. The squirrels crawling up the trees, and the occasional bird flying overhead just light the stallion up with glee. Until the bush nearest to him rustled violently and something shot out and into the next bush. He quickly stopped and whinnied out as if to warn Ella that something wasn’t right. then those eyes appeared again! Iter refused to wait for those sounds to happen. He absolutely refused to have Ella’s life in danger too. He overrode the riders control and took off down the trail the way they came. He weaved effortlessly between the trees, and mumbling navigating his way.

<< << >> >>

Meanwhile Ella clung for dear life, and completely unaware of what spooked Iter so bad. She was a bit impressed of how he managed to get out of the forest so quickly, but she also knew that it couldn’t become a habit.

Fortunately, when they got to the stables Iter slowed to a stop and Ella immediately dismounted. She lightly scolded him before walking him out to help calm his breathing and adrenaline rush. The entire time all she think about was what she’d do with him. He was always spooking and trying to run. Granted, if their ride was anything to go by, he’d make an excellent pole bending horse. If he could just stop getting skittish over everything. Perhaps she could bring it up to the girls later, Ella thought to herself.

With renew confidence in Iter, she returned the horse to his stall for the night.

<< << >> >>

It seemed like he was the only one to be noticing the glowing eyes and it started to really concern him. Perhaps he really was going insane and it was all in his mind? What else could explain it? The stallion thought quietly while he settled in for the night. However as life would have it, Lucifer appeared to pick up on Iter’s thoughts.

“You know, you could probably be seeing ghosts. It’s very lightly. This barn was an old train station at one point. Maybe it’s a revengeful soul that’s looking for justice for their murder? You could be its next victim.”

“Lucifer, give it a rest. You’re going to give him night terrors.” Camellia said with annoyance from where she was trying to sleep in her stall. Lucifer just bore a devilish grin before hunkering down.

And Camellia was right, Lucifer’s words ran through his head nonstop. What if a ghost was actually haunting him and only he could see it! What would he do? Could they harm him or Ella?

That night Iter barely got a wink of sleep.

•••• •••• •••• ••••

Ella, Rowan, and Connor gathered outside of the stables the next day. Ella had sent a message out to their group chat to figure out ways to deal with the situation. And together they’ve decided to search the area for anything that could spook him. So far they deduced that the stables as a safe zone for the stallion since he never seemed to get skittish there. The only known incidents were outside the trailer, the pasture, and the trail ride through the woods. Connor was the one to bring up the fact that it could be a wildlife animal. Iter had spent most of his life locked away inside of Fallen Oak Farm, so he wouldn’t be use to them like the foals.

The trio decided it best to spilt up and cover more ground. Ella checked the pasture, Rowan took on the forest, and Connor looked along the driveway and where they’d keep the vehicles. They searched all morning, before decided to help Rowan scour the forest in the afternoon. By the end of the day they still had came up with nothing to show for their efforts. Connor had found some dead mice closer to the barn, but that was it. Definitely odd, but that would partially explain they’re lack of pests. Rowan has only commented that you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. But Ella was skeptical that this was entirely a gift. She didn’t push her ideas either seeing as that was an issue for later. It was more irritating that they were not able to find a culprit for Iter’s attitude.

“I think we should call it a day guys and tuck the horses in for the night.” Connor voice softly and the other two nodded in agreement. However once they entered the barn, Iter could be seen tossing his head about and neighing in blind horror. Even going as far as rearing up a few times. Ella could only sigh in disappointment and wondered if it was wise to adopt Iter afterall. Was he too much for her to handle? It hurt to see him in such destress, but she has to be cautious too. He looked like he was being controlled by absolute fear.

“Erm, Ella? Is it just me or is there sounds coming from the feed room?” Connor spoke up softly with fear edging in as the young woman eyed the door. Rowan didn’t wait to grab a broom before barging into the room with a gladiator screech. A ball of black and brown darted between Rowan’s legs and stilled in the middle of the barn hallway. All the normal entrances were closed and it was surrounded by humans. Ella and Rowan were frozen in shock at seeing such a feral looking animal.

“SQUISH THAT CAT!” Connor hollered as she made a drove for the cat. That did not help the other girls stunned states as they watched they introvert, and home body, nerd of a friend tackle a stray cat. However Rowan did have enough sense to pull out her phone and film the entire thing.

Once Connor had capture the cat with her ‘squishing’ abilities, they collected a box and an old blanket to cover it with the poor stray inside. With the cat out of sight Iter had calmed down considerably, though he seemed to grow in distress every time ella neared the cat box. For the horse’s sanity, and the cat’s, it was decided Connor would take them until they knew what to do.

Little did everyone know, Connor had picked out the name ‘trouvaille’ for the stray and decided to pick them as the barn’s honorary pest control.

•••• •••• •••• ••••

“So what was that about, squishing the cat?” Ella questioned Connor as the trio sat outside with trouvaille, having a picnic.

“Oh! I saw this video on handling cats, and it said to always squish that cat. I wanted to see if it would actually work.” Connor easily responded before taking a big bite out of her sandwich.

Rowan couldn’t help but smirk at that because she knew exactly what to do with the video she took of Connor and trouvaille duking it out. And strange as it is, trouvaille seems to not hold it against Connor. You would’ve never have guessed it if you hadn’t seen it. And tomorrow everyone would get to see it on her TikTok account.

<< << >> >>

Iter watched from the pasture as the girls ate their lunches with that ghost. For some reason everyone could see it now, and they kept calling it a cat. But no matter what anyone says, he knows what he saw. That so called cat was just a ghost in a disguise, and it could not be trusted. It didn’t seem to harm Ella or the foals, so he learned to stop freaking out. But that isn’t say he won’t freak out if it come near him. And just maybe it was part Lucifer, because he swore that thing found enjoyment in mocking him. [2866]

trouvaille | 2:44